This episode takes a deep dive into the three dreams of Richard III - from a dream about falling off a ship to the admonitions of "Despair and Die" before the Battle of Bosworth in The Tragedy of Richard III.
This episode takes a deep dive into the three dreams of Richard III - from a dream about falling off a ship to the admonitions of "Despair and Die" before the Battle of Bosworth in The Tragedy of Richard III.
Welcome to Celebrate Poe - this is episode 231 - Despair! In this episode - I want to delve into the subject of dreams in literature - mainly the Bible and Shakespeare - and then in later episodes - dreams in the works of Poe, as well as the motion picture, Inception.
First, I want to touch on the subject of dreams in the King James Version of the Bible - just to briefly give 4 examples -
1. Joseph’s Dreams - In the book of Genesis, Joseph has two prophetic dreams about his family bowing down to him, which foreshadow his future rise to power in Egypt. These dreams anger his brothers and set in motion the events that lead Joseph to Egypt.
2. Pharaoh’s Dreams - In Genesis 41, Pharaoh has two dreams about seven fat cows being devoured by seven thin cows, and seven full ears of grain being consumed by seven thin ears. Joseph is able to interpret these dreams as foretelling seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine in Egypt.
3. Daniel’s Visions - The book of Daniel contains several accounts of Daniel receiving divine visions and dreams, including a dream about four beasts representing future kingdoms (Daniel 7) and a vision of a ram and a goat (Daniel 8).
4. Joseph’s Dream about Jesus - In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew describes how an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take Mary as his wife and naming the child she will bear as Jesus.
So biblical dreams tend to be prophetic. Today, I want to take a deep dive into the the three main instances of dreams present in Shakespeare’s Richard III. You could say the dreams foreshadow the forthcoming events by showing similar characteristics between the dream itself and reality.
It is important to realize that the dreams in Shakespeare’s Richard III are not necessarily statements about the nature of dreams - unlike the dream poems of Edgar Allan Poe - but lines that further the action of the play. At the same time, a modern audience would find the motif of the supernatural in Richard III to be very strange and would react to it quite differently than audiences during the Renaissance period.
Individuals during Shakespeare’s lifetime were often quite superstitious and England on a whole was an extremely religious country. Audience members believed in both God and the Devil and Heaven and Hell. They also believed in the supernatural, prophecies, and curses - helping to make the events contained within Richard III quite real to an audience.
The first of these three dreams is in Act 1, Scene 4. The characters are Brakenberry - the constable of the Tower of London and Clarence - a brother of Glouchester - later Richard III. Brakenberry is hired to get rid of Clarence - and in this scene Clarence has dreams foreshadowing what will happen to him. Clarence is imprisoned in the tower of London and dreams that he is fleeing with his brother Glouchester (remember - Gloucester later becomes Richard III) to France, but on the ship Richard stumbles and throws Clarence overboard causing him to drown You might say that this dream foreshadows the near future because in reality Clarence is later stabbed and drowned in a barrel of wine by the executioners who are sent by Richard.
BRAKENBURY speaks first.
Why looks your grace so heavily today?
CLARENCE explains that he has had a terrible dream and BRAKENBURY asks
What was your dream? I long to hear you tell it.
CLARENCE
Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower,
And was embark'd to cross to Burgundy;
And, in my company, my brother Gloucester;
Who from my cabin tempted me to walk
Upon the hatches: thence we looked toward England,
As we paced along
Upon the giddy footing of the hatches,
Methought that Gloucester stumbled; and, in falling,
Struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard,
Into the tumbling billows of the main.
Lord, Lord! methought, what pain it was to drown!
What dreadful noise of waters in mine ears!
What ugly sights of death within mine eyes!
Methought I saw a thousand fearful wrecks;
Ten thousand men that fishes gnaw'd upon;
Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl,
Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels,
All scatter'd in the bottom of the sea:
Some lay in dead men's skulls; and, in those holes
Where eyes did once inhabit, there were crept,
As 'twere in scorn of eyes, reflecting gems,
Which woo'd the slimy bottom of the deep,
And mock'd the dead bones that lay scatter'd by.
BRAKENBURY
Awaked you not with this sore agony?
CLARENCE
O, no, my dream was lengthen'd after life;
O, then began the tempest to my soul,
Seize on him, Furies, take him to your torments!'
With that, methoughts, a legion of foul fiends
Environ'd me about, and howled in mine ears
Such hideous cries, that with the very noise
I trembling waked, and for a season after
Could not believe but that I was in hell,
Such terrible impression made the dream.
The Second Dream
The second dream takes place in Act 3, Scene 2. Here one of Richard closest friends dreams that a boar rips off his head, “the boar had razed his helm.” In this scenario the boar represents Richard because a boar is his symbol or herald. Richard’s friend ends up dead - all because he trusted Richard. But the lines in the dream end with the friend - even after the boar has ripped off his head - saying that “the boar - or Richard - will use us kindly.
First, a messenger enters
Messenger
And then he sends you word
He dreamt to-night the boar had razed his helm:
Besides, he says there are two councils held;
And that may be determined at the one
which may make you and him to rue at the other.
Therefore he sends to know your lordship's pleasure,
If presently you will take horse with him,
And with all speed post with him toward the north,
To shun the danger that his soul divines.
HASTINGS
Go, fellow, go, return unto thy lord;
Bid him not fear the separated councils
His honour and myself are at the one,
And at the other is my servant Catesby
Where nothing can proceed that toucheth us
Whereof I shall not have intelligence.
Tell him his fears are shallow, wanting instance:
And for his dreams, I wonder he is so fond
To trust the mockery of unquiet slumbers
To fly the boar before the boar pursues,
Were to incense the boar to follow us
And make pursuit where he did mean no chase.
Go, bid thy master rise and come to me
And we will both together to the Tower,
Where, he shall see, the boar will use us kindly.
08:00 Third Dream (before Battle of Bosworth)
The most famous dream in Richard III is in Act 5 Scene 3. This dream occurs right before Richard and Richmond head out for battle. Here, Richard and Richmond are visited by a parade of eleven ghosts (all those people who Richard had killed in the past in his attempts to reach his goals). Those ghosts include, Prince Edward, King Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, Hastings, the young princes, Lady Anne and Buckingham.
All the ghosts follow a particular pattern – They constantly curse Richard and discourage him by saying things like, “Despair and Die”. On the other hand, they praise and bless Richmond and encourage him by saying things like, “Live and Flourish” and they hope that he wins the battle and ends Richard’s reign. So this dream is full of foreboding, and sure enough, Richmond wins the battle by defeating Richard and becomes the new King of England.
And before we delve into what is a rather complex series of speeches with at least a dozen characters, note how often Shakespeare uses “despair or die” or variations on it in this section. I counted at least eight.
Richmond speaks first.
RICHMOND
Good lords, conduct him to his regiment:
I'll strive, with troubled thoughts, to take a nap,
Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow,
When I should mount with wings of victory:
Once more, good night, kind lords and gentlemen.
Exeunt all but RICHMOND
O Thou, whose captain I account myself,
Look on my forces with a gracious eye;
Put in their hands thy bruising irons of wrath,
That they may crush down with a heavy fall
The usurping helmets of our adversaries!
Make us thy ministers of chastisement,
That we may praise thee in the victory!
To thee I do commend my watchful soul,
Ere I let fall the windows of mine eyes:
Sleeping and waking, O, defend me still!
Richard Iii sleeps while Enter the Ghost of Prince Edward, son to King Henry VI
Ghost
of Prince Edward
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth
At Tewksbury: despair, therefore, and die!
To RICHMOND
Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.
Enter the Ghost of King Henry VI
Ghost
of King Henry VI
[To KING RICHARD III]
When I was mortal, my anointed body
By thee was punched full of deadly holes
Think on the Tower and me: despair, and die!
Harry the Sixth bids thee despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Virtuous and holy, be thou conqueror!
Harry, that prophesied thou shouldst be king,
Doth comfort thee in thy sleep: live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghost of CLARENCE
Ghost of CLARENCE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
I, that was wash'd to death with fulsome wine,
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betrayed to death!
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!--
To RICHMOND
Thou offspring of the house of Lancaster
The wronged heirs of York do pray for thee
Good angels guard thy battle! live, and flourish!
Enter the Ghosts of RIVERS, GRAY, and VAUGHAN
Ghost of RIVERS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow,
Rivers. that died at Pomfret! despair, and die!
Ghost of GREY
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Grey, and let thy soul despair!
Ghost of VAUGHAN
[To KING RICHARD III]
Think upon Vaughan, and, with guilty fear,
Let fall thy lance: despair, and die!
All
[To RICHMOND]
Awake, and think our wrongs in Richard's bosom
Will conquer him! awake, and win the day!
Enter the Ghost of HASTINGS
Ghost of HASTINGS
[To KING RICHARD III]
Bloody and guilty, guiltily awake,
And in a bloody battle end thy days!
Think on Lord Hastings: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Quiet untroubled soul, awake, awake!
Arm, fight, and conquer, for fair England's sake!
Enter the Ghosts of the two young Princes
Ghosts
of young Princes
[To KING RICHARD III]
Dream on thy cousins smother'd in the Tower:
Let us be led within thy bosom, Richard,
And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death!
Thy nephews' souls bid thee despair and die!
To RICHMOND
Sleep, Richmond, sleep in peace, and wake in joy;
Good angels guard thee from the boar's annoy!
Live, and beget a happy race of kings!
Edward's unhappy sons do bid thee flourish.
Enter the Ghost of LADY ANNE
Ghost of LADY ANNE
[To KING RICHARD III]
Richard, thy wife, that wretched Anne thy wife,
That never slept a quiet hour with thee,
Now fills thy sleep with perturbations
To-morrow in the battle think on me,
And fall thy edgeless sword: despair, and die!
To RICHMOND
Thou quiet soul, sleep thou a quiet sleep
Dream of success and happy victory!
Thy adversary's wife doth pray for thee.
Enter the Ghost of BUCKINGHAM
Ghost
of BUCKINGHAM
[To KING RICHARD III]
The last was I that helped thee to the crown;
The last was I that felt thy tyranny:
O, in the battle think on Buckingham,
And die in terror of thy guiltiness!
Dream on, dream on, of bloody deeds and death:
Fainting, despair; despairing, yield thy breath!
To RICHMOND
I died for hope ere I could lend thee aid:
But cheer thy heart, and be thou not dismay'd:
God and good angel fight on Richmond's side;
And Richard falls in height of all his pride.
The Ghosts vanish
KING RICHARD III starts out of his dream
KING RICHARD III
Give me another horse: bind up my wounds.
Have mercy, Jesu!--Soft! I did but dream.
O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!
The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight.
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? myself? there's none else by:
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.
Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am:
Then fly. What, from myself? Great reason why:
Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself?
Alack. I love myself. Wherefore? for any good
That I myself have done unto myself?
O, no! alas, I rather hate myself
For hateful deeds committed by myself!
I am a villain: yet I lie. I am not.
Fool, of thyself speak well: fool, do not flatter.
My conscience hath a thousand several tongues,
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
Perjury, perjury, in the high'st degree
Murder, stem murder, in the direst degree;
All several sins, all used in each degree,
Throng to the bar, crying all, Guilty! guilty!
I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And if I die, no soul shall pity me:
Nay, wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?
Methought the souls of all that I had murder'd
Came to my tent; and every one did threat
To-morrow's vengeance on the head of Richard.
Join me for Episode 232 - where Celebrate Poe concludes its look at some of the shorter dream accounts in Shakespeare
Sources include the Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.